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Study Highlights Massive Imbalances In Global Fertilizer Use
Synthetic fertilizers have dramatically increased food production worldwide. But the unintended costs to the environment and human health have been substantial. Nitrogen runoff from farms has contaminated surface and groundwater and helped create massive "dead zones" in coastal areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico. And ammonia from fertilized cropland has become a major of air pollution, while emissions of nitrous oxide form a potent greenhouse gas.
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Progression Of Skeletal Muscle Disorder Slowed By Vaccine
A potential vaccine for Alzheimer"s disease also has been shown in mice to slow the weakening of muscles associated with inclusion body myositis, a disorder that affects the elderly.
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U.S. Appeals Court Rules To Enforce Illinois Parental Notification Law
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Tuesday lifted, an injunction blocking the enforcement of an Illinois law that requires parental notification 48 hours before minors can undergo abortion procedures, the AP/South Town Star reports. The Illinois Legislature originally passed the law in 1984 and revised it in 1995. In 2007, U.S. District Judge David Coar issued an injunction blocking enforcement of the law. On Tuesday, the appeals court said that the measure was "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law, argued that a provision that allows a notification of a judge, rather than a parent, would be unworkable in practice. In an opinion by Judge Richard Cudahy, the appeals court panel said, "We acknowledge that there might be practical problems with the procedure at issue here" and that "it may be intimidating for a minor to navigate the process of presenting her case to a judge, for instance." It continued, "But we fail to see a better alternative. Abortion, no matter how it is confronted, may present intimidating choices to the minor woman who faces it."The law will take effect within a few weeks unless opponents ask for a stay. Ed Yohnka, an ACLU spokesperson, said that it is unclear what the next step would be but that the appeals court could be asked to rehear the case (Robinson, AP/South Town Star, 7/15).
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House Speaker Pelosi Works To Appease Concern Over Abortion Issues In Health Reform Bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday held a private meeting with antiabortion-rights Democratic Reps. Mike Doyle (Pa.) and Tim Ryan (Ohio) in an attempt to quell pressure to exclude abortion coverage from the House health reform bill (HR 3200), Roll Call reports. Joined by abortion-rights supporter Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) -- Pelosi"s "point person" on the Energy and Commerce Committee -- Pelosi attempted to broker areas of agreement on the issue, according to Roll Call. However, antiabortion-rights Democrats contend that, beyond Wednesday"s meeting, Pelosi has not responded to their concerns by making changes to the House bill (Bendery, Roll Call, 7/22).The House bill does not mention abortion, but antiabortion-rights critics of the measure say it could increase availability of the procedure by requiring health insurance plans to cover services and by providing government funding for subsidized plans, according to the Washington Post. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that decisions on specific benefits like abortion services should be "left to medical experts in the field," such as a proposed advisory board that would make recommendations on minimum benefits that private insurers must offer. Ryan and a group of centrist Democrats have proposed an amendment that would neither require nor prohibit insurers from covering abortion services, as long as federal funding is not used. Their proposal also says that current state restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion services would remain in effect (Eggen/Stein, Washington Post, 7/23). Currently, private insurers are neither required nor forbidden to cover abortion services. The Hyde Amendment and other federal measures prohibit the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except in very limited cases. Some states use their own money to cover the procedure for low-income women (Stein, Washington Post, 7/23).Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich), co-chair of the Pro-Life Caucus, said abortion-rights supporters in the House "can continue to ignore us if they want, but at their peril." He added that the bill should maintain current restrictions on federal funding for abortion. Stupak was among a group of Democrats who sent a letter to Pelosi in June threatening to oppose any health reform bill that does not explicitly÷ forbid federal funding÷ from being used÷ for abortion services (Roll Call, 7/22). The Post reports that the health care reform debate has "reignited" claims from antiabortion-rights groups that President Obama"s efforts to find common ground on abortion-related policies are an attempt "to paper over ... support for abortion rights with policies that will do little" to reduce the number of abortions." Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, said that Obama "says he wants to reduce abortions" but that "the actual policies that this administration is promoting will result in massive public subsidies for abortion and result in a massive increase in the number of abortions." Abortion-rights opponents plan to hold a rally Thursday against the House health reform bill, and Americans United for Life has demanded a meeting with the president to discuss the issue of abortion coverage in health reform.Abortion-rights groups and Democratic leaders say opponents" allegations are exaggerated and an attempt to use the health reform debate to further restrict access to legal abortion services under private insurance plans. Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said, "This is the kind of divisiveness that the public has grown very tired of."The debate over covering abortion services comes as Ryan and abortion-rights supporter Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) prepare to introduce a bill that aims to reduce the need for abortion by encouraging pregnancy prevention and increasing government support for young women with children. The bill has generated "an unusual array of supporters" -- including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America and evangelical leaders like Rev. Joel Hunter of Orlando -- because its co-sponsors represent each side of the abortion-rights debate, the Post reports (Eggen/Stein, Washington Post, 7/23). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women"s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company. © 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.


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